The private room fell silent.
Xiao Cui stared blankly at her young master, then rolled her eyes.
"Tch! Do you think I'm stupid?"
"Young master, everyone in the fortress knows your Innate Soul Power is zero! You can't even cultivate, and you're claiming you created a technique in your dreams? And that you had 'friction' with those girls?"
She curled her lip. "If you're Brother Cao, then I must be a god reborn!"
Cao Xiyu: "..."
Ye Lingling was speechless too. She looked at her husband, a complicated feeling welling up inside her.
They had known before they married that his Innate Soul Power was zero and he couldn't cultivate.
In the ten years since, her husband had never left the Ye Family Fortress. Every day, they had played music together, read books, and practiced calligraphy, living a life untouched by worldly strife.
How could such a reclusive "shut-in" possibly be the mysterious powerhouse who had stirred up the entire continent?
"Husband," Ye Lingling said with a soft sigh, laying her hand over Cao Xiyu's. "If you don't want to tell us, then don't. Why make up such a ridiculous lie?"
Cao Xiyu looked at his wife's expression—I know you're bragging, but I'll humor you—and the corner of his mouth twitched.
He was telling the truth, so why wouldn't anyone believe him?
"I really am..." He tried to defend himself.
"All right, all right. You are, you are." Ye Lingling patted his hand gently, as if soothing a mischievous child. "My husband is the best. You're Brother Cao, and it was you who helped those girls improve their strength in your dreams."
Cao Xiyu: "..."
He drew a deep breath and decided to stop arguing. Whatever. If they didn't believe him, they didn't believe him. Besides, he hadn't planned to make them believe him just yet.
One day, the truth would come to light.
Cao Xiyu gazed through the window lattice at the golden ranking list, a deep look flashing in his eyes.
Who would be tenth?
He silently considered the figures who had shared that "friction" with him in his dreams, a tender smile curving his lips.
Whoever made the list, none of them were still the pitiable women fate had once pushed around.
They had gained the power to take control of their own destinies.
That was enough.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhilin sat around a rosewood table, six eyes fixed on the Sky Screen. Their expressions were a sight to behold.
"Shrek... That trash academy that didn't even qualify for the advanced Soul Master academy tournament—someone from there made the list?"
Meng Shenji murmured, his voice full of disbelief.
Bai Baoshan stroked his beard, the muscles in his face twitching. "Zhu Zhuqing... an eighty-ninth-rank Soul Douluo... a student at Shrek Academy... How... how is this possible? How could a rundown place like that produce a genius like her?"
Committee member Zhilin went so far as to leap to his feet and pace back and forth. His usually composed face was full of jealousy and resentment. "Our Heaven Dou Royal Academy has the empire behind us, endless resources, and a gathering of geniuses! Why? Why did some trash academy take first place? Is Brother Cao blind?"
The three committee members grew angrier and more sour by the moment.
"Right!" Meng Shenji suddenly remembered something and turned to the students standing nearby. "Dugu Yan, Ya Qin, come over here."
The two women stepped forward.
The one in front was Dugu Yan, granddaughter of Poison Douluo Dugu Bo.
She had short, deep-purple hair, emerald-green eyes, and a tall, strikingly alluring figure.
Behind her stood Ya Qin, wearing a daring crop top and miniskirt that showed off her waist. She had a bold, eye-catching style and was very beautiful.
Meng Shenji looked Dugu Yan up and down, his gaze tinged with anticipation. "Yan'er, you're one of the top geniuses at our Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and the most outstanding in appearance, too. Have you heard of the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique?"
Dugu Yan furrowed her brow slightly, her tone flat. "Never heard of it."
"Then... have you ever met Brother Cao?" Bai Baoshan asked hurriedly.
Dugu Yan shook her head. "No."
Ya Qin stepped forward too, longing flickering in her eyes. "Committee members, the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique sounds like a top-tier technique. If I could cultivate it, maybe I could make the list too! Unfortunately... I really haven't heard of it, and I've never met that Brother Cao."
She sighed, her face full of regret.
The three committee members exchanged glances, all looking disappointed.
"Alas..." Meng Shenji sighed. "Never mind. Such an opportunity can't be forced. You may leave."
Dugu Yan gave a slight nod and turned to go.
But right then—
BOOM!!!
A dazzling golden pillar of light descended from the sky, enveloping Dugu Yan's tall figure!
Everyone in the hall froze!
The teacup in Bai Baoshan's hand slipped to the floor and shattered.
And Dugu Yan, who had just claimed she'd "never heard of it" and "never met him," now stood bathed in golden light, an oppressive aura radiating from her!
Ya Qin's mouth fell open wide enough to fit a fist. She stared blankly at Dugu Yan, her mind a complete blank.
Just now... They had both said they'd never heard of it or met him, and in the blink of an eye, Dugu Yan was wrapped in golden light?
Could people not trust each other even a little?
Above them, golden text appeared on the Sky Screen:
[Genius Ranking, Rank Ten: Dugu Yan.] [Identity: Granddaughter of Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, student of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.] [Strength: Level 89 Soul Douluo.] [Cultivation Art: Yin-Yang Reincarnation Art.] [Reward: Domain, Jade Phosphor Five Extremes Domain.]
"Ranked tenth?" Meng Shenji finally came to his senses. "Dugu Yan is an eighty-ninth-rank Soul Douluo?"
"The Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique! She's cultivating it too!" Bai Baoshan pointed at Dugu Yan in the golden light, his finger trembling. "She just said she'd never heard of it! This... this..."
"Sister Yan..." Ya Qin stammered, her voice tinged with hurt. "Didn't you just say you'd never heard of it...?"
In the golden light, Dugu Yan slowly opened her eyes.
A complicated gleam now shone in those once-cold eyes.
"Sorry," she said softly. "Brother Cao told me to keep a low profile."
Keep a low profile...
Did keeping a low profile mean you could lie without so much as batting an eyelid?
But Dugu Yan had no time to dwell on Ya Qin's little thoughts.
As she sensed the profound information about the "Jade Phosphorus Five Absolutes Domain" that had suddenly appeared in her mind, an excitement she could barely suppress flashed in her eyes.
This domain had five effects: visual interference, auditory suppression, weakened defenses, diminished states, and Soul Power burn.
It was an extremely practical and powerful domain.
Brother Cao... Thank you.
In the fate that had originally awaited them, her grandfather, Dugu Bo, had always stood on Tang San's side. During the battle at Jialing Pass, he had unleashed his ultimate skill, "Medusa's Despair," to turn Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo to stone and turn the tide of battle.
But the price of that skill was immense. In the end, his Head Soul Bone shattered and his Soul Power ran dry, and he died a heroic death.
Her grandfather had helped Tang San and the others enormously from beginning to end, yet they hadn't saved him. They hadn't even considered it!
Dugu Yan felt her grandfather had been treated unfairly. This time, she wouldn't let the tragedy happen again.
As for Yu Tianheng...